The Carer
by impossible123
Summary: So our grumpy Doctor is sick, and there is only one person capable to take care of him, even if he insists that he doesn't need any help. Doctor!sickfic and fluff (late S8... around post- Mummy on the Orient Express, pre-Flatline... ish...)
1. Chapter 1

**_A/N- It's true that I haven't completed my other two stories (_ Run Clever Boy _and_ Blood Moon _); will soon update them too :D But I have finally decided to write a Doctor!sickfic I hope you will all enjoy :D_**

 ** _It'll have to start with a slight mystery for you all... *smirks*_**

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 _"Brought you to..." He opened the door triumphantly. "Antartica."_ _Clara squealed as she stepped outside the TARDIS in her purple cottoned jacket. The Doctor couldn't help but smile. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" She jumped held him in a tight embrace which he didn't return._

 _"Clara, I don-"_

 _"I don't care." She laughed as she squeezed him tighter. One would say that she had supernatural strengths for a human her size._ _She finally let go. The Doctor was still in slight shock. "_ _Well, come on daft old man. Let's go!" She ran giggling, white wisps of breath escaping from her nose and mouth. The Doctor ran after her. After they ran for a few minutes across the white scenery, Clara stopped, laughing at the Doctor, following her huffing and puffing, very tired. The TARDIS was a mere blue speck on the icy horizon. "How-" he panted. "Do you- have so- much- energy?" The time traveller held his knees as he bent down._ _"For a 2000 year old time traveller, you need some more training!" Clara laughed. He couldn't help but smile. Thank heavens he met a companion like her. He wouldn't know what to do without her._ _"Come on! Let's run some more!" Clara continued to run. "Back to the TARDIS!" "Clara, we're not in a marathon!" The Doctor straightened up. "Who says we're not?!" He heard her shout. "You have_ got _to be kidding me,_ " _he thought._ _Whether he wanted or not, he had to join her._

 _But she was a fast runner. Clara always used to brag, in a joking manner… just to pull the Doctor's leg once in a while, about how she had arrived second out of two hundred athletic students at her school during a marathon when she was younger. And she retains that the companion is still as fit as her teenage self. In fact, the 'chasing monsters' lifestyle she occupied made her run even faster, especially when she was being chased by one…. When her life or the Doctor's was in any type of danger._

 _So the Doctor found it difficult to keep up with her. But he had too many thoughts in his mind…. The fact that something felt terribly wrong._

 _"Clara, stop! There's something wrong!_

 _"What?!" An echo responded. "Stop!" The Doctor waved as Clara stopped. He hurried to go near her._

 _But then something made his hearts halt. The time lord heard thin ice crack before Clara was engulfed by the ice under her. He could hear her faint scream. The Doctor ran faster than he had ran these past few minutes. "Clara! Hold on I'm coming!" He could feel the sudden rush of adrenaline flowing through his 2 heart circulatory system. "Clara!" The Doctor shouted her name again as he immediately took off his long coat and scarf and jumped into the icy cold water. He horrifyingly saw his companion being dragged down, most probably by the weight of her sagged clothes. She was already knocked off, seeing air bubbles escaping from her nostrils and her lips with were slightly apart. He swam as hard as he could, adrenaline pumping in his veins, and the only thought in his mind was to save Clara. Not even how cold the water was, or how weak his legs felt both with the cold and the shock of endangering his companion._

 _He was finally close enough to catch her and bring her in his arms. The Doctor swam as fast as his feet could propel him upward until his face broke the surface, gasping for air. He heaved Clara onto the ice before heaving himself up, panting and coughing up water. The time lord knelt near her. Clara's lips were already a dangerous shade of blue and her skin was very pale. He pressed 2 fingers against the artery in her neck._

Weak pulse.

Oh, don't you dare leave me now, Clara Oswald.

 _He prepped up for compressions and began pumping. The Doctor noticed water escaping down the corner of her parted lips with every jolt._

 _But no breath._

 _"Come. On. Cla. Ra. Come. On. Fight….."_

 _He repeatedly chanted under his breath as he rested his whole weight on her chest._

Pulse.

Weaker by the second.

CPR.

He didn't even think twice.

2 breaths

 _His fairly warm lips curled around her blue lips, feeling her cold wet skin._ _Her chest nearly didn't inflate with air due to the volume of water she had taken in._

Compressions.

 _"Come. On. Cla. Ra. You. Strong. Girl."_

 _He must never give up. He mustn't stop. Not until her got his Clara back. He had the duty to bring her back to life._

 _Tears clouded the Doctor's vision... But he wasn't any close to stopping._

2 more breaths.

 _It almost felt as if Clara's skin was even colder against his lips than the first time he supplied her with air._

I can't lose you Clara.

Back to compressions.

 _"Come._

 _On._

 _Fight._

 _You._

 _Stubb-"_

 _The Doctor soon stopped as Clara's eyes sprung open in shock and jolted up before she began coughing up water._

 _"It's fine Clara. Come on come on." He said as he helped Clara to the side, coughing up more freezing water. "Great great."_

What a sound, hearing her breathe again, desperate for a gulp of air.

 _"That's it… you're doing well." He continued as the time lord rubbed her back._

 _When her cough had dried up, he laid her on his lap. Her broken eyes looked into his. "Ccccoldddddd." She just murmured as she trembled incessantly, her bottom lip refusing to cooperate so Clara could be able to communicate. The Doctor took his dry long coat, which he'd left on the ice just a few feet away and wrapped her in it. "I'mmmmm ssss-" She moaned but the Doctor stopped her. "All I need you to do is to stay awake, ok? Make it up to me." The Doctor desperately huddled her to him as Clara's glazed eyed looked at her daft old man, trying her best to nod. "You don't have to Clara. I already know you'll make it." And gently kissed her wet forehead._

 _The companion groaned as she huddled deeper into the coat, her eyes threatening to flutter shut, yet trying her best to stay awake. He could feel her desperate, heavy exhaled blows against his wet shirt, getting colder by the minute. "Come on Clara, stay with me!" He pulled her closer to him and smoothed her pale cheek, watching her as she took laboured breaths as her eyes rolled in her head._

 _"TARDIS." He said to himself. And immediately woke up and ran to the time machine._

* * *

 _The time lord exited the time machine with his companion, both dry, thanks to the TARDIS. The latter was cuddled in bundles of blankets to keep her warm. The warmth scorched the Doctor's skin the moment he stepped out. Looking up, he saw the 3 suns at all angles._ This should keep Clara warm until she stabilises. _The Doctor thought._

 _The coarse sand grains underneath his feet crunched as the time lord started pacing away from the TARDIS. He had chosen the warmest, safest planet he knew for him and Clara to stay. He found a suitable spot and placed Clara to sit there, before sitting himself and letting her body weight lean against him. He kissed her forehead delicately, feeling her shake against him. His arms wrapped around her, hoping that her body would warm up little faster. "It's going to be alright, Clara." He chanted in her hair. "You'll get better, I promise. I promise."_

 _The time lord soon felt Clara move slightly in the bundle of blankets, before seeing her abnormally large eyes flutter open slowly. "Hi. Hello." He gazed at her, seeing that she was trying her best to form a weak smile, before cuddling closer to the Doctor, trembling more vigorously. He rubbed her arms, trying to produce some more heat, whilst chanting the same words of courage. The more he said them, the more he believed Clara was going to make it._

 _And so there they stood, wrapped in each other's presence, hoping that Clara would live again._

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 _ **A/N- hope you enjoyed this first chapter :D Feedback appreciated as always :D**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N:**_ _ **So... Another update :D I would like to show my gratitude to those who favourited followed and/ or commented! They were very greatly appreciated!**_

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He couldn't stand the slow beeping of Clara's heart rate. The Doctor could barely see his short human companion cocooned under all those blankets as she slept on a medbay bed. He even somehow was able to get the TARDIS to increase the temperature in med bay (didn't matter to him, he was able to change his body temperature at will). And yet, her core temperature was still dangerously low, even if he had been under the scorching heat of 3 suns twice bigger than Earth's. Somehow, that wasn't enough.

So what was?

He heard a groan and Clara shifted from under the blankets.  
"Hey, hey. It's fine. Shhhh it's alright." The Doctor calmed her as he smoothed her head. "Doctor..." She replied to his touch without opening her eyes. "Shhhh... Don't talk. Just don't move that much. You have an IV to your hand and you wouldn't want to take it out." The Doctor poured a hot cup of tea.  
"Here, take this." Clara slithered out her hands and let her fingers wrap around the thin ceramic, feeling it so warm. "Drink. Will make you feel better." He guided the cup to her lip and Clara sipped the warm, sweet, milky liquid.

But at the end it proved anything but useful to increase her core body temperature.  
"I'm sorry Doc-" But the Doctor shushed her, smoothing her forehead. "Still feeling cold?" He asked. Clara nodded as she delved deeper under the sheets. A short silence engulfed both, before the Doctor sighed. "This is going to be awkward... But it's the best I can do." He stood up and Clara immediately knew his plan. As she was going to make space for him, the Doctor stopped her. "No Clara. It's going to be fine. I have plenty of space, you shouldn't move that much."

And so he slowly slipped under the warm blankets. He wrapped his arm around his freezing companion and held her against him. "I got you Clara." He said as the Doctor pressed a warm, wet kiss to her forehead. Her fingers curled themselves tighter around the Doctor's thin shirt, her cold nose burying even further in his side, desperate for warmth.  
"You're safe Clara." He reassured her. The companion whimpered. "Hey, we'll fix you. OK?" He continued to smooth her hair. The Doctor soon heard wheezing. "It's going to be fine." His mind immediately began to race.

Oxygen

"Let me bring you the oxygen mask.." As he was going to pull away, Clara's cold yet firm grip on his shirt held him in place. She felt a little better when he was near. "I'd rather spend my last few minutes talking to you than breathing through a mask." She croaked.  
The Doctor couldn't move. He was frozen. He momentarily felt just like his companion; cold and unable to breathe. With shock.

She had already accepted her death.  
He wasn't doing enough.

"I promise you, Clara. I'll try my best to fix this." He couldn't deny, he was scared... His voice fluctuated even if the time lord wanted to hide the worry from him so desperately.  
Clara's grip on his shirt tightened. "You can't." A choked voice said. Choked just because she was scared. She was trembling, but not out of the warmth that had been sucked out of her... After all her systems were already shutting down, even the lack of energy in her muscles prevented her from shivering and building up enough heat. It was from the strong fear of dying. The fear of pain.  
His companion was sobbing, and he couldn't help her... He was sobbing too.  
At last, the girl calmed down.

No use crying over split milk, Clara. Spend your time wisely.

She looked up towards the Doctor, seeing his weak, forced, yet gentle smile. "Talk to me about something beautiful Doctor." Clara breathed feebly. The Doctor's smile melted. He couldn't bring himself to think about Clara, who had been such a bubbly, adventurous person, now dying in his arms. He knew Clara, a fighter, the one who never gave up on anyone, neither herself….

No…. she's not dying. Not on his watch.

His thoughts were soon interrupted by yet another soft plea. "Please." She whimpered, with more tears in her eyes than before.  
He had to bring himself to do it. It was her wish.

But Clara had already started. "Remember when you came to the Maitland's house dressed like a monk?" The time lord's lips reformed into a sweet genuine smile. The simple memory made her worry and most of her pain said away. It was a beautiful memory, a moment both never ever regretted having; the day when the Doctor had found Clara, his Impossible again for the third time after laying her life twice for his sake.  
And she was dying for the third time.  
"But I never regret meeting you daft old man." Her voice was weaker, slightly shakier, but never lost its sweetness.

Oh Clara…. His Clara….

The magical aura that momentarily wrapped around them was soon distraught as Clara's hold on the time lord's shirt got even tighter.  
She was trying to suppress the pain that had suddenly overcome her.

"I'm scared..." He heard Clara's desperate cry as she buried herself in his embrace. "Hold on, Clara. My Impossible Girl." The Doctor did his best to say, even if such an encouragement felt in vain due to his trembling voice.  
She was far from his reach now..

"Run." He heard his companion breathe amidst the suffering. "My clever old man."  
A final gasped sob.  
"And remem-" And her hold loosened.  
"Clara?" His eyes wide he looked at the lifeless form which he had huddled to him.  
She was cold... So cold...

"Clara, please wake up." He brushed away the hair and revealed her pale face and blue-purple tinged lips which were mostly pressed against his warm chest. "Don't leave me... I'm sorry... Please." He caressed her. "My Impossible Girl. My Clara."

Doctor...

It was just him and Clara. No... Just him now... With her lifeless body. Her lifeless, cold body. No wide smile... No glistening eyes... No rosy cheeks... Just blue and icy white.

Doctor!

It felt as if an earthquake had struck.  
Was he that much in pain that he was trembling without noticing?

"Doctor **JUST WAKE UP**!"

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 _ **A/N:**_ _ **Hope you enjoyed this chapter (sorry for the angst in both this and the previous chapter xD Will make up for it with loads of whouffaldi fluff in the next chapter, I promise :D )**_

 _ **Feedback appreciated as always :D**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: Thank you for all the feedback you've posted! I really appreciated it!**_

 _ **So here's another chapter as promised, full of fluff and a bit of humour and also a lot of heartbreak (sorry...)**_

 _ **The irony is that I'm currently under the effects of a cold... so I can empathise quite well with the Doctor xD thank goodness I'm feeling better than the past few days :D**_

 _ **Anyways, here's the the chapter you've all been waiting for :D**_

* * *

The Doctor's eyes sprung open, holding his cheek and howling in pain.

"Should've done that earlier." Heard someone mumble.

"Where… where am I?" He said confused after he had been slapped awake. The Doctor was slowly returning to his senses. He could easily recognise the rest of the white hospital beds, monitors, machines and stores where the TARDIS held all of her equipment and tools for medical care. "Med bay." Said a familiar voice. He sighed in relief when he saw that Clara was alive and walking. The image in his head of having Clara dying of extreme hypothermia would not leave him alone.

 _It was his fault she had died in the dream…_

"What happened?" The Doctor tried to sit up but his head throbbed too much. He pressed the palm of his hand to the bandage he had around his head. " _Stay. Still._ " Said the companion. "But…" His cry of protest was soon cut off. "I said. _Stay_." She said to him as she pointed her finger towards him, in her particular teacher tone, looking angry. The Doctor sulked. He hated lying down, and he especially hated being told what to do. He was the one who does so.

"You had quite a hit on the head when you fell." Clara continued on pushing buttons on the monitor beside the bed. "Thank goodness you skull is as hard as diamond. Well….. your head in general is as hard as diamond, assuming your brains and thinking sense make a part of it." She chuckled under her breath as the Doctor looked at her annoyingly.

 _But there was something strange about her laugh. It was….. an uneasy laugh._

"Can you please tell me what the _hell_ happened?" He shivered. She shoved the thermometer in his mouth before sitting down, ready to give him his long awaited explanation. "You have the human equivalent of a really bad flu… some sort of Time Lord cold. We were talking on where we were going next… you didn't seem quite right. You said you were feeling slightly cold but still wanted to take me somewhere, no matter how many times I told you to go check. We were going up the stairs to the console room when all of a sudden you just collapsed and hit your head. You almost gave me a heart attack." She woke up to take his thermometer and looked at the scale before placing in on the bedside and continuing to tap on the monitor. "You should have listened to me for once in your life." Clara sniffed, holding back the tears that were so desperately trying to overflow from her eyes. "Don't you ever dare do that to me again." The Doctor could pick up the anger in her voice, mostly mingled with concern and worry. Almost on the verge of breaking. And he could tell her eyes had started to swell just a bit, holding on to the tears.

 _So that's what was so wrong with Clara._  
 _It felt as though she was so sad and concerned but at the same time so infuriated with him._  
 _It was worse than the malfunction. All those emotions mixed together baffled him._  
 _But it was hardly his fault he had contracted the cold._

As he laid there, the Doctor felt physically horrible. And he hated it. It wasn't common, but it wasn't the first time he had contracted time lord influenza, especially as a little boy, running through the orange fields of Gallifrey. His nose felt congested, like someone had blocked it with 2 pieces of cork….. same went for his ears. His throat felt bad and he felt like he was going to cough his lungs out. And he felt cold and warm at the same time (is it _even_ possible?).

She stopped and looked at him. "According to your stats it looks you're healing. Better than what you were 4 hours ago for sure. You've given me a hard time these few hours. Your temperature changed from sky high to arctic cold, mostly mumbling inaudible things, kicking like a maniac…" She sighed and slumped back on the chair. He inspected her. Her shirt was all crumpled, her hair not that tidy…. To say the least. But he kept unintentionally gazing at her eyes.

 _Those eyes… They were large and broken, just they usually are when she's about to cry, accompanied by dark rings under her eyes._  
"Oh.. I almost forgot." She sat up once again, taking a warm electric kettle in one hand and mug with "Boss of the World" in the other. It was a mug Clara had given him just a few months earlier. She reassured him that had there been "Boss of the Universe", she would have bought him that. But she couldn't find a mug as good as that anywhere. He really loved it and was used by no one else other than him. Only he and Clara could touch it.  
Clara poured some warm yellowish translucent liquid into the beaker. "Here." She handed it him. "The TARDIS prescribed this… to drink it once you wake up. Then another time after 12 hours until the symptoms pass." The Doctor looked into the mug. "I have to drink this stu-?" His words were cut short by a heavy cough. Needless to say, he almost spilled the contents on him. But Clara was quick enough to take it from his hands and only handing it to him after she was sure that his cough had died down.  
"Yes." She replied. He looked disgusted as he inspected the translucent carbonated yellowish liquid in the mug. Clara sighed "I know you don't want to stay in bed…. So you'd better cooperate." It felt like she was taking care of a sick 8-year-old kid.

"I'm not one of your pudding-brains from class, you know." He said. "What the hell is this anyway?" "Just drink." Clara told him with a slightly impatient tone. He pulled yet another face of disgust before the Doctor started sipping the brew. It had a strong lemon taste… pretty bitter…. It tasted like horrible human medicine, maybe a bit stronger.

"Well… sometimes you act like an 8-year-old….." she mumbled after some time whilst the companion sterilised all the equipment she used to check the Doctor's health status.  
"Hey, you know I heard that?" The Doctor protested before coughing lightly. Clara breathed a laugh as her thin lips curled into a small smile. Since he woke up, this was the first time he'd seen Clara smile in such a way, showing slightly more tenderness. But it was the malfunctioning smile again. And he _despised_ it. Yet, the time lord decided he wouldn't comment on it. She had every right to malfunction at that moment.

After drinking half a mug, he felt much better. His surroundings had cleared a little bit more, especially his nose. Clara wanted to break the horrible silence which had taken over the room, apart from an occasional hum from the TARDIS. "It is my duty to help you." She finally said as a final response to his comparison to her students.

"I am anything but your duty, Clara Oswald." He continued to sip the brew. She seemed slightly effected by his words, yet, the companion tried to keep herself busy, clearing up around the bed. "I'll be the judge of that." Clara finally responded.

The Doctor, after terrible minutes of stillness (except for sipping noises), was finally ready of his medicine. He felt terribly tired. "Sedative." He murmured half asleep, his eyes almost completely shut. "Keeps you calm whilst the medicine does its magic." She replied. Since you're so darn companion thought. The Time Lord was going to stretch out his hand in order to place the mug on the bedside table. "No no no." Clara swiftly took the mug from his hand before placing it herself on the table. She'd better not risk having any broken glass to clean up. "Your job now is to sleep." She said. " _Sleep_? I have much much better things to do." The Doctor exclaimed dizzyingly as he prepared to take the sheets off him and get the hell out of there.

" _Sit_ …." Clara threatened. The Doctor immediately slipped back.  
Never mess with Clara when she's in teacher mode…. Her eyebrows in attack formation (it showed that she was spending too much time with the Doctor) and her eyes wide which bore into any poor student's soul. The eyebrows alone were enough to make anyone scared.

 _No….. scared was simply a complete and utter understatement._

Clara snugged the Doctor under the light blanket before hastily checking his temperature, gently placing the back of her hand with his forehead.

Roughly human temperature… so his temperature was still a bit higher than the set point temperature Time Lords have, always according to the thought.  
"Still a bit high. Rest. I'll be here if you need anything." And Clara sat down near him, pulled over her soft blanket and opened her book; Northanger Abbey.

After a minute or so, Clara diverted her eyes from the text to the Doctor, who she noticed he was already fast asleep.  
The companion smiled a sad smile.

 _Sleep tight, Doctor._

* * *

Clara's head started bobbing, feeling her fingers slowly lose their grip on the opened book. Feeling so warm and cosy, she could feel her laden eyes close slowly. Before she knew Clara was starting to dose off as well. But the companion heard a weak murmur from the bed which soon made her forget all about sleep and rest.

 _Clara…._

The companion closed her book, which thankfully did not fall from Clara's grasp, placed it on the bedside table, threw the blanket off her and crept closer to the Doctor. His eyes were half open.

"Clara?" He murmured again. "I'm here Doctor." His hand slithered on the mattress to find hers, holding it lightly. "I….. I can't sleep." He said.

"Want me to read you a story?" It sounded awkward to her saying this to an alien who had a bit less than a hundred times her age. But she tried to back up her statement, "Stories work marvels on sleepless nights, trust me." "I want you to… keep me company." And he did his best to make her some space on her side of the bed.

Clara held her breath. She froze….. didn't know how to respond, actually.

After some time, she looked at the Doctor, seeing his pleading, watering, half-opened eyes gazing at her. Clara could do nothing but give in. "Bring your blanket too… you might feel cold." He breathed.

So she took her soft blanket and laid herself in the Doctor's arms, before covering herself and the Doctor (who already had a blanket of his own). It felt awkward, at first. This much contact was unnatural for this face….. or the fact that he was showing some kind of emotional warmth.

 _Must be the flu._ thought Clara.

The Doctor, on the other hand, began to worry. A million thoughts were buzzing around his brain.

 _It was a terrible act. But he can't pull her away now. Not when she accepted it. But what if she accepted it only because she was told to?_

 _Ugh…. He did stupid things when he's in delirium. And he confessed things he shouldn't._  
 _But now was his chance._  
 _After all, she was only human._

 _Not much time left, when compared to his life. That dream…. Oh that horrible nightmare_ ….

He was comforted by the warmth she radiated… She was still alive, no matter how much she died in his dreams.

 _The curse of being immortal….. seeing the ones you love dying around you. And you can't do anything because…. That's life._

Then, just then, Clara dared to snug a little bit closer to him, her head resting on his shoulder. She had heard him say her name quite a few times in the fever dream he had before he woke up. She knew there was the thought of her leaving troubling him, even if all the companion could hear other than her name were inaudible mumbles. But she could only imagine what his fever dream was about.

 _After all… she was only human…_  
 _After all… there wasn't much time left for her and him._

The Doctor tensed a bit more at the companion's shift, but soon relaxed as he held her closer to him. Clara breathed in contentment, and his lips curled in a weak smile.

 _Thank you Clara for putting up with me._

* * *

 ** _A/N: WHOUFFALDIII- a ship that shall never sink xD_**

 ** _Hope you enjoyed this chapter... If you readers thought that this is all the whouffaldi fluff I had prepared for you... Brace for more in the next chapters (much... much more fluff) :D_**

 ** _Feedback appreciated as always :D_**


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N: a chapter fluffier than cotton candy xD Enjoy!**_

* * *

When Clara's eyes opened, she expected a sleeping Doctor, his arm still wrapped around her delicate form, plunged into the deepest of rests, snoring as he usually does.

But there was no snoring, no softness, no sweet smell of Scotland and time travel.  
And no Doctor.

Clara shot up, seeing that the time lord had replaced his figure with a soft pillow. "Seriously Doctor?!" She exclaimed angrily. She threw the quilt off her and stormed through the TARDIS corridors. She was led to the library. _Why would you lead me to the Library?_ Thought Clara, as if she tried to converse with the Time machine. _Trust me._ She only felt. And so she entered. The carer saw the Doctor sitting on the sofa, huddled in a blanket, hunched towards a toasty warm fire whilst sipping a warm brew of milky tea. "Why did you go?" Clara's tone showed slight anger, and yet it fluctuated with fear and worry. Clara's hair was slightly disorganised, but the Doctor in no way fund it funny. He felt too horrible to be his normal self.

"I've got nothing, Clara. You didn't need to worr-" Clara cut his sentence. "Not _worry_? What do you expect me to do, leave your brains boil out of your ears?" She shouted. The Doctor's headache grew even worse, but he dared not tell Clara, or stop her. She had every right to be angry for his mysterious disappearance, and he had no right to deny her from doing so. The Doctor didn't even look at her; he never admitted that she scared him when she acted in that way.

"I just needed a warm cup of tea, that's all." He murmured, unable to shout due to his raking sore throat. "And I would have made you one if it weren't for the fear of transmitting the cold." "I've already stayed near you long enough, Doctor." Her tone was less harsh, yet still anxious, "Besides, the TARDIS told me it's not infectious to humans." After a short while of silence, Clara continued to speak, this time with a calmer, more worried tone. "You should have woken me up if you wanted something. You could have got injured or something." "I couldn't wake you up when I knew I could do it myself. And you needed sleep Clara. You didn't even wake up with the sound of the sonic like you usually do." Her eyebrows knitted. "You soniced me?" She breathed. The Doctor was too in pain to nod, but he replied all the same. "The effect of 21 hours without sleep combined with stress and the tiredness of having to cope with those screaming pudding brains in what you call _school_ , but it's more like a prison. You slept as hard as a rock, Clara Oswald." He coughed slightly, as the time lord slowly brought up the beaker to his chapped lips, his body shivering slightly. The companion walked towards the Doctor, who kept on gazing at the dancing tongues of fire. Clara placed the back of her hand to the Doctor's forehead delicately. The time lord shivered a bit more when he felt such a cool feeling.

 _It was boiling, even in comparison to the body temperature of a human being._

 _It was even worse than before…_

Clara's eye mechanism kicked in, involuntarily enlarging them. "Doctor, I have to take you to medbay now." "Don't worry, Clara." He replied. "Just go to your apartment, I know how to take care of myself." "Not this time Doctor." The companion insisted. She took the mug of tea from the Doctor's hands and placed it on the table near the sofa. "I'll get it when you're all settled in bed." She helped the blanket-wrapped Doctor up, holding his back. "I don't want you to get sick." The time lord insisted, which left him coughing once again. "The less you talk, the better." She said, and the Doctor said no more until they arrived to the sickbay. Slowly they walked, in complete silence, the time lord still wrapped in his blanket whilst Clara guided him from his back.

She helped him take off the blanket, damp from the cold sweat the Doctor was releasing

Clara looked at her watch. _It's been 14 hours since she was last awake._ The companion gasped. _She was supposed to give him the next dose of medicine 2 hours ago!_

"No wonder you're boiling up, Doctor." Clara said as she poured a mug full of the warm brew as the time lord panted with sweat on his forehead and chapped lips slightly parted, feeling delirious. The TARDIS was kind enough to reheat it whilst they were still on their way to the medbay. She slipped a hand under the Doctor's head, feeling his grey hair, wet with sweat. As the companion placed the brew close enough to his lips, he was taken aback and turned his head. "Please, Doctor. I know it tastes horrible, I get that. But you've lost too many fluids. You'll feel better afterwards. I promise." Clara tried thinking of more excuses for him to drink the brew. Anything to see the mug empty. "Brew, hot, fever." He breathed. "You were drinking hot tea before I came, Doctor." She huffed. "Please, Doctor."

So the Gallifreyan made an effort to get closer to the brew; Clara's cue to tilt the contents slowly into his mouth. He tried to take the beaker from Clara's hand as the time lord started gulping the contents. "No, this time I shall do it." And so the Doctor surrendered into the hands of his carer.

When he finally drank everything, he felt himself slipping into a deep sleep as the sedative in the lemon medicine did its job once again. But the companion was still very very worried because the Doctor still had a very high temperature. Clara grabbed the bowl which she had already used, discarded half of the water inside it into the sink, and placed a few handfuls of ice from a special compartment in the medbay. She took the closest cloth she could find, drowned it in the chilled water and gently placed it on the Doctor's forehead, occasionally dabbing his cheeks and neck with it before recooling it with more water. The patient winced at the cold surface. "It's going to be alright, Doctor. You just sleep." She said tenderly. She felt her heart clinch, seeing him so peaceful for once. It showed a side she had never seen. Well, she had seen such a sight before, in Madame Vastra's household. But the companion thought she wasn't looking at the Doctor. She hadn't yet accepted him.

"I don't want to, Clara." He said, whilst the companion was drowning the cloth in the cold water. She turned back to him, rested a hand on the mattress and leaned to the Doctor, dabbing his face once again. "You'll feel better when you wake up." She said. "You promised that the last time, too." He murmured. The companion sighed, ignoring his last comment. "Need anything to make you feel better? To maybe get you to sleep for a bit?" But the Doctor didn't reply to that remark as silence overtook the room, except for the sounds of the TARDIS who Clara had gotten used to by then. _Maybe he slept at last._ She thought before Clara felt a finger stroking her hand, resting on the mattress. She stopped dabbing the Doctor's face as the carer observed his hand with wide eyes. The patient's hand soon wrapped around hers, intertwining slowly with her fingers. "That's better." He breathed satisfactorily. Clara almost couldn't believe it. She was scared but at the same time, the companion did not want to shake off his hand. She didn't want to reject the Doctor, who after all was still the same Doctor who had knocked on the door at the Maitland's household exclaiming her name (and its alternate version), dressed as a monk and who had, thankfully, saved her from spoonheads and possessed wifi.

His breathing had soon eased out as he had fallen into a deep sleep. Clara kept on gazing at the Doctor. The…. _changed_ Doctor. He looked so different, yet, since after that adventure with the half-faced droid, she started to accept him a bit more each day. She got used to his grumbling, his Scottish nature, and his less flirty attitude filled with so much more sarcasm the bowtie reincarnation would only _dream_ of.

She cooled the cloth in her hand once again, making sure she never lost grip from the Doctor's hands. Clara sat down on the bed softly and dabbed his fevered forehead. Seeing him so peaceful, so…. _Beautiful_ … She placed the cloth in the bowl. Very cautiously, the companion crept closer to the Doctor's face. After a hesitant moment, Clara traced the time lord's chapped, slightly parted lips with her fingertips. Then, she moved on to his wrinkles; making him look as old as he actually was; aged by grief, regrets, and deaths, not much by age. Clara smoothed his forehead delicately, sometimes stroking his relatively short humid hair. She leaned even closer, before pressing a gentle kiss to the Doctor's warm, damp forehead. As Clara pulled away, she retraced the Doctor's face with her vision, just imprinting the memory in her mind. Not wanting to let go of the Doctor's hand, she slowly laid her ear on the Doctor's chest, feeling his hearts thump calmly. As if such a rhythm was a children's cradle song, Clara was slowly lulled to sleep.

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 _ **A/N: hope you enjoyed this chapter :D As always, feedback greatly appreciated :D**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N: Thank you all for the feedback! I'm so happy you've loved the fanfic so far!**_

 _ **I'm so so excited to watch Jenna as Joanna on The Cry tomorrow! It's going to be sad but I bet it's gonna be good!**_

 _ **Here's to another chapter!**_

* * *

 _Clara…._

 _Clara…._

Someone was shaking her. _Clara, wake up._

The companion woke up with a fright, sitting up, looking around her. "What's wrong? Did something happen?" Two arms held her shoulders, "Clara. Relax." She heard, turning to look at the Doctor wide-eyed. "I just woke you up from a nightmare." The companion sighed and her tense muscles dissolved. Soon the Doctor left her shoulders. She tried to sit up straight, but her neck was screaming out in pain. "How were you even able to sleep like that?" Said the Doctor, who was lying with his back upright on the bed. This eyes were still slightly glazed with sickness, but overall he looked slightly better. "I don't know." She groaned as Clara descended from the bed and stood up as straight as possible. Then she remembered… _she was sleeping on his chest. He_ knew… _He had seen her asleep on his chest._ Her cheeks turned slightly reddish and began feeling slightly warm. She immediately when to check the time lord's stats on the monitor nearby. "What's wrong with your face? You're confusing me." Clara tried to brush it off. "It's nothing." "Do _you_ have a fever or something?" He said, slightly delirious. "Let me check it for you." The Doctor continued as he tried to lean to Clara to place the back of his hand to her forehead. But the companion took his wrist gently and pushed it back, laying him back on the bed. "You have to stay. You're still not fully recovered, Doctor." He sulked. "I was only trying to help." He murmured. Clara heard him and she soon felt slightly warmer with embarrassment. "There goes the tomato face again." The Doctor rolled his eyes. "You really _are_ moody today, Doctor." She said. "Isn't that always me, teach?" The gallifreyan continued. But Clara's lips slightly turned into a small sad smile, as she remembered his tender side she had seen a few hours ago. Sad? Because it seemed that it was all over.

The Doctor huffed. "There goes the malfunctioning smile." Clara bit her lip, trying to bring herself not to smile sadly or to cry. She was finally able to bring herself back to normal. "So it seems you're recovering quite well, Doctor." Clara said as she tucked him into the sheets. "Just another dose of medicine, a quick nap, and you'll be good to go." The companion smiled a sad smile. "Goodness me, what's with the malfunction again?" Said the Doctor. Clara looked downwards in embarrassment. "I'm.. sorry… I woke you up with my nightmare." She played with her fingers. "And sorry for slapping you from yours. It's just… I couldn't wake you up otherwise." His eyebrows arched. "Oh, so _that's_ why..." The time lord sighed. "No need to apologise, teach. I wasn't asleep when you woke up, anyway." The Doctor cleared his throat, biting his lower lip, embarrassed. _Wait…. Did I actually say something like that?_

 _No… I don't want her to know that I spent almost an hour looking at her angelic face, gazing at her, caressing her, thinking about her._

 _She's a 28 year old with a boyfriend on Earth for goodness' sake!_

Thank goodness Clara changed the subject. "You must be famished." She said. "What do you want to eat?"

 _Nothing, Clara…. I just want you to stay with me._

"Not really hungry, Clara." He said. "But you can't not eat anything, Doctor. Let me make you some toast. I'll make one for myself too." The companion smiled. "In fact you know what? I'll make you my mum's grilled cheese recipe." The Doctor smiled. "So was's just a soufflé specialist?" Clara smiled back. "She was an amazing cook." She sighed. The companion soon walked towards the exit before stopping and turning after a few steps. "Anything else you need?" She asked. The Doctor replied, "Don't burn the whole place down." Clara rolled her eyes jokingly before pointing her finger at him. "Don't wander off." And she turned back and headed off to the kitchen. "Yes, ma'am." He breathed, before the Doctor lost sight of his companion, who had turned around the corner.

The time lord sighed as he looked at the starry ceiling. He secretly thanked the woman in the shop who had gave Clara his number. His Impossible Girl….

 _I'm not your boyfriend._

That doesn't mean he doesn't care for her. Quite the contrary.

Clara Oswald…. She was his first face… the name seared into his hearts…

His Clara… Exactly what he needed.

Perfect

* * *

 _D_ _octor…._

 _Doctor_ _..._

He opened his eyes to Clara, who had been shaking him awake very gently. "I got you your grilled cheese." She said with a wide caring smile. Despite of the pain and drowsiness he felt, that smile worked wonders on his mood.

He sat up, and Clara handed him a plate with perfectly two triangular pieces of grilled cheese. They smelt really good, he had to admit. "I hope you didn't burn the kitchen, Clara." He said, as he inspected the plate. Clara didn't really take cause of what he had said. She sat down in the chair as the Doctor took one of the pieces and, after looking at the cheddar cheese from the side, he took a bite. His eyes widened as he waved his hand in front of his open mouth. "Hot… hot…" he tried to say, trying to cool the hot cheese down. Clara giggled whilst cooling her toast, breathing onto it. He looked kind of goofy. At last he was able to swallow it. "You should have let it cool down, Doctor." She laughed. The Doctor shook his head before trying to cool it down, and took another bite. This time it tasted infinitely better. It was actually really good… the cheese was so so tasty. He hummed in pleasure. "It's good." He said. _A compliment by an angry, moody Scottish Doctor. That's good._ "Thanks." Clara said with a smile after having swallowed a bite of the grilled cheese. "My mum used to make it for me every morning before going off to school." She smiled sadly. The Doctor noticed it but decided not to comment. After all, she was still grieving her mother… after all these years…

They stayed in the silence of the time machine, accept the hums of the TARDIS itself, and the crunch of every bite of toast.

After a while, the time lord decided it was time to apologise. "Clara?" He asked feebly. "Yeah?" She answered. He bit his lower lip. "I'm sorry about anything that could have made you…. uncomfortable." He said. "Don't worry, Doctor. It wasn't…." _Oh God… what did I just say?_ The companion felt quite embarrassed, and the Doctor soon noticed it. "The tomato face, again." He teased. "Shut up." She muttered, and the Doctor chuckled before taking another piece of her sandwich. Clara tried to hold a smile. He was really caring, she thought, despite his moodiness. But could it have been due to the cold? I mean… a bad cold could change ones personality, even if it was only temporarily. No… not that. A cold makes one delirious… and in delirium is the most likely time where one unintentionally reveals even the most embarrassing of secrets.

 _And maybe this was one of his… That he cared for her….._

 _Maybe the chin boy didn't disappear after all…._

 _Of course it didn't, silly…. it was still the Doctor._

 _But maybe… she cared for him too….._

And so they continued eating, enclosed in the sound of the TARDIS, both ever so slightly embarrassed with each other.

When both the Doctor and Clara had finished eating, the companion woke up from her seat and took the plate, placed it on hers and placed them on the bedside table. She turned back to the Doctor, placing the back of her hand on his forehead. He couldn't help but look at her wonderful, glazed eyes. Needless to say, Clara tried not to look into his. She was all too embarrassed. He broke off her spell when she walked away to get the thermometer. "Again?" He told her as Clara placed the thermometer in front of his mouth. "Just to check that you're ok, Doctor. I'm not leaving here until I'm sure that you're ok." "I _am -_ " Clara placed the thermometer under his tongue before he could talk any more. The Doctor sulked, but the companion continued tapping the monitor. When she deemed fit, she removed the thermometer and looked at the scale before comparing it to the set temperatures on the monitor. "I guess you're free to go." Clara said, laying the thermometer on the bedside table. "Finally." He murmured as the time lord threw the blanket of him and got out of bed. He looked quite disgusted at himself, still wearing the same shirt and trousers and socks, being drenched in sweat and used as make shift pyjamas. "I feel awful." Said the Doctor. "Yeah, me too. I should probably go and have a bath after I finish." Said Clara before yawning. "And probably a good night's sleep." The Doctor offered his help. "Let me help-" "No way." Clara interrupted the time lord. "You go and shower. I'll take care of this." "But-" The Doctor said as he was going to take to kettle for the kitchen. "No buts. Do as you are told." Said Clara in her menacing teachery tone. "Fine." He grumbled before walking out of medbay. Clara grinned.

Hard headed as always… her Doctor. She was his control freak, yet, she knew…. He still loved her.

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 _ **A/N: Hope you all enjoyed it!**_

 _ **So... A short note... I might probably have to skip next Tuesday's update as I have to post the last chapter of Blood Moon... (But 'll update The Carer next Saturday unless anything happens) Feedback appreciated as always and thanks again!**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N: So here it is! The final chapter!**_

 _ **(Last Sunday's Doctor Who episode was epic. I've already fallen in love with Jodie's Doctor :D)**_

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The Doctor flipped the switches on the console unit. Clara waited patiently near him, having a totally new outfit for school than the morning he picked her up during her lunch break; a simple shirt with flower print and a black skirt. She had the same bag though; a black leather handbag where she had some of her planned notes and books, other than those that were in her personal locker under her desk at school. Her hair smelt of strawberries as the companion had washed it before going to bed, and thank goodness the TARDIS supplied her with shampoo's which had the most long-lasting fragrance, from coconuts, to vanilla, to lavender….  
The time lord's machine landed just a few paces from the school. "So… see you… whenever." She said with a broad smile before heading to the door. But the Doctor had plucked up enough courage to tell her one last thing before departing. "Um…. Clara?" The companion was holding onto the side rail, when she turned on her heel. "Yeah?" She replied.

"I just wanted to say… um… thank you." He felt relatively uneasy. Quite unusual and rare for this face to thank anyone,  
"for staying with me." He continued shyly. Clara soon noticed that even his cheeks were blushing to a slight tomato colour. "Don't mention it." She said with a gentle smile. She turned back to the door, before making a few steps, soon regretting her action. The companion turned around and shot towards him, letting her arms curl around his waist, burying her nose in his shirt, almost knocking him off his feet with the sudden jolt she gave him. Good thing there was the main console behind him. "Not the hugging… I'm against the hugging!" said the Doctor as his hands flailed up. Clara loosened a bit, looking up, yet still keeping her arms around him. He looked at her under his enormous angry eyebrows. "I deserve this after taking care of a grumpy man like you, don't I?" She had inflated eyes too as she looked up to him. "And the eyes.. Oh goodness those eyes." He rolled his own eyes, before looking at her, still in the same state of begging him. He sighed in surrender. "Ugh… fine but just this-" She didn't let him finish. Her hold tightened around him and her nose buried itself in his shirt once again. She finally released the Doctor from her vice-like hold, looking up to him with a wide smile on her face. Him... of course... looking quite annoyed. She tiptoed and pecked his cheek with a delicate kiss before hopping to the door. Looking back, she saw him quite gobsmacked, more shocked than angry. Needless to say, his eyebrows were almost going to fall off with the shock. She ran happily to the exit. "See you around, Doctor." She said as her hand was just on the door lock. And with those words she opened the door, and closed it with her lips curled in the sweetest smile.

It was after quite a while that the Doctor got back to his senses. His fingertips caressed the area where his companion's lips toughed his skin. Such warmth he felt, his hearts were tingling.  
Had he hallucinated this? Was it a side effects of the flu?  
It can't be…..  
How could she show such affection a grumpy old Scot like him?

His thoughts were soon interrupted by the TARDIS, who had been yelling and screeching at him in her very own language for the past minutes. He turned and slowly pulled down the lever to leave the school grounds, hearing the distinct clicks as the gears under the console turned.

I should get sick more often….. thought he with a slight chuckle, feeling his cheek once again, almost feeling the trace Clara's kiss had left behind.

Oh Clara Clara Clara Clara… what would I do without you?

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 _ **A/N: Hope you enjoyed this story! I really had fun writing it, especually the 12Clara fluff :D Till next Saturday's update of 'I Remember You' (my 13Clara AU), take care :D**_


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